NASCAR & Whelen Expand Partnership

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR announced Friday it has reached an agreement with Chester, Conn., and Charlestown, N.H.-based Whelen Engineering to enhance its long-standing status as the Official Warning Lights of NASCAR with the additional position as the Official Vehicle Illumination Lights of NASCAR.

The expansion adds to Whelen’s NASCAR portfolio, which includes entitlement sponsorship of two regional touring series, an international touring series and the weekly racing series.

The success Whelen has found with its flashing and rotating warning light product line, combined with its relationship with NASCAR, has fueled the establishment of the new consumer product line of constant illumination for vehicles. The category includes head lights, brake and tail lights, directional lights, spot lights and flood lights. The products offered are wide-ranging in use from on-road to off-road driving; perimeter or long-range illumination; for the general public and for fire, safety and ambulance vehicles.

The new product line of vehicle illumination lights is in use by NASCAR in the administration and officiating of its national and regional touring series, including affixed flood lighting on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series trailers and portable lighting utilized by the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tours.

“Whelen Engineering’s decision to expand its agreement is another indicator that NASCAR – our teams, our tracks, and most importantly our fans – continues to drive businesses,” said George Silbermann, NASCAR vice president for regional and touring racing. “Whelen Engineering is well known as the industry leader in specialized lighting products, and has been a long-time supporter of NASCAR racing at the grassroots level.”

Whelen Engineering’s relationship with NASCAR began in 2005 as the entitlement sponsor of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour. At the same time, Whelen also became the Official Warning Lights of NASCAR. In the 10 years since, fire, safety and ambulance vehicles at NASCAR events have been outfitted with Whelen warning lights, and race tracks have been featured Whelen caution control lights.

“Whelen Engineering has been known for years as the best in flashing warning lights, but we’re also now manufacturing illumination products with the same quality and attention to detail,” said Whelen Engineering Vice President for Motorsports Phil Kurze. “Through the NASCAR sponsorship we have the opportunity to display our latest and greatest products at tracks not just in the U.S., but around the world. A large percentage of NASCAR fans are people that have a need for our product, and we know NASCAR helps us generate sales by displaying our products in the area we are sponsoring.”

Whelen has experienced incremental increases in sales as it has become more involved with NASCAR. Since the initial agreements in 2005, Whelen added to its NASCAR portfolio with entitlement sponsorships with the grassroots weekly NASCAR Whelen All-American Series in 2007 and the European-based NASCAR Whelen Euro Series in 2013.